


to the edge of the universe and back

by dryadfiona



Series: survive [2]
Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-25 22:17:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18710770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dryadfiona/pseuds/dryadfiona
Summary: Ellie finds Dina.





	to the edge of the universe and back

**Author's Note:**

> me: i'm gonna wait until tlou2 is out before i write more ellie x dina fics  
> me, posting three fics the next day: i am a liar and a scoundrel but also the most valid person alive

Ellie doesn't know what the hell is up with this cult's beliefs or their leader or anything, but she doesn't really give a shit, either. She's found their camp-- _the_ camp--and if Dina's alive anywhere, it would be here.

(Unless she escaped on her own. Even so, she doesn't exactly mind bringing down the group that took her--her whatever-Dina-is-to-her away from her.)

The last camp made her worry she wasn't going to be  _able_ to stealth this one, but they don't seem to be expecting anyone to find this camp, and dragging bodies into the grass is easier than it's been in awhile. She's not sure if that's them or her, if the sheer fact that she's  _this close_ is giving her energy she hasn't had in weeks.

It still takes almost an hour to take the camp down completely, and she does have to resort to combat once or twice--but Joel taught her well in the time before she left, and Ellie knows what she's doing. When she stalks around the camp to find any stragglers, she realizes with a start that there's no one left alive outside. She's sure that their prisoners are well-guarded, so she checks her ammo before heading in.

 _Hard to stealth a well-lit building,_ she thinks, pulling out the shotgun she last used more than a week ago.

When she breaks down the door, the guards seem shocked but act quickly, one yelling "Wolf!" before she can shoot him in the gut. She has to dodge to the side to avoid a shot from his partner, but takes him down, and the reinforcements that come in from the other room. The whole thing takes less than a minute, and she has to close her eyes and just breathe, listen to the world around her, to calm down the rush of adrenaline.

"Hello?" she hears someone yell from the other room. Her heart drops--it's not Dina. Still, she's come this far, so she goes over to the door and kicks that one down too--

Only to be tackled by her best friend.

"Ellie!" Dina says, staring down at her in complete disbelief. "I'm--are you--am I dreaming?"

Ellie, staring up at her, says, "I was about to ask you the same question."

Dina laughs and hugs her so tight that she can't breathe, but she doesn't care, hugging back with as much intensity as she can manage after an hour of skulking around.

"So you know her?" someone says, amused. It's the voice she'd heard before.

Dina gets off Ellie and helps her up, not letting go of her hand. "Yeah, she's my, uh. Not sure yet," Dina says with a laugh. "But we can figure that out now."

Ellie beams, still staring at Dina, which is probably rude, but whatever.

"Told you she'd make it," Dina says, staring at Ellie.

The other person laughs a bit and says, "I'll give you two some space. Yell if you need anything." With that, they walk outside.

Dina hugs Ellie again, less back-breaking. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Ellie says, trying not to cry but tearing up anyway. "I thought about you every day."

"How'd you find me?" Dina asks. "I--how far are we from the compound?"

"A few weeks, but I had to find it first," Ellie says. "Sorry I took so long."

Dina pulls back. "Ellie, you fought through who-knows-how-many men to get to me. You have  _nothing_ to apologize for. I'm still reeling about the fact that you're _here_ at all!"

"Thought you told them I was gonna make it," Ellie says with a grin.

"Still," Dina says. "You know how it is when, uh, life sucks. Starts to feel like it'll always be that way."

Ellie's grin drops, and she squeezes Dina's hand. "I do."

"Wish we didn't."

"We won't have to again," Ellie says. Dina smiles at her. "What?"

"When you say it like that," Dina says, stepping closer, "I almost believe you."

"Like what?" Ellie says, putting her hands on Dina's waist.

Dina puts her hands around Ellie's neck, grinning, and says, "Like you know. Like the world's gonna do whatever we want it to."

Ellie leans down and kisses her, and Dina holds her close. After a moment that feels like years, they both pull back just enough to lean their foreheads against each other. "It will. I'll make it."

"See, now you're just trying to rile me up," Dina says, eyes wide.

"Well, uh," Ellie says, completely flustered. Dina laughs and kisses her again. "Only if it's working."

"It's working," Dina says with a smirk, and Ellie's charm for the day is gone. She's too happy to see her, too shy, too overwhelmed with everything to do anything but squeeze her hand again and head outside.

-

Ellie tells Dina and Yara, the prisoner that had been with Dina, everything about her journey. About how she and Joel had left to go find Dina again, how Joel got injured and had to go back to the compound so that Ellie wouldn't lose the trail, how she'd tracked down camp after camp until she realized where she needed to go.

"They called me Wolf," Ellie says with a snort. "Which is weird. Do you know what that's about?"

Dina shakes her head. "The Seraphites are weird."

Yara always goes quiet when they talk about the cultists. Ellie knows she's older than them by several years. She has a brother named Lev who she's going to look for in nearby zones, a fucked-up arm, and more scars than even Joel. Ellie thinks that maybe her history with the Seraphites goes on longer than she's let on, but Dina trusts her whole-heartedly, and Ellie trusts Dina.

"Yeah," Ellie says. "But you don't have to worry about them anymore."

Yara grins at Ellie. "Neither do you, you know. You've done your part. You can rest."

Ellie's smile is small, hesitant. "Hopefully."

"You can," Dina says, gripping her hand. "Seriously. If Jesse tries to give you any shifts outside the wall for the next year, I'm making his life a living hell."

Ellie laughs and pulls Dina close to give her a quick kiss. Yara groans in mock-disgust, but her smile (and her protectiveness over Dina) shows that she doesn't really mind.

She can rest. She has Dina in her life again, and she can go home and be safe in a way that she's almost forgotten. It doesn't feel real--but it will. Dina's smiling at her, and Joel is safe back at home, and  _home_ is something she can have again.

**Author's Note:**

> since i wrote this: danny you're legally not ever allowed to call me mean ever again. also thank you for your unwavering support, entirety of dndchat squad


End file.
